Chapter 17 - The Voice on the Recording
The recording came from a phone call Elaine had saved during a dispute about the promised payment.
Investigators verified its origin and sought the necessary permissions before using it in the case.
Khloe chose to hear the relevant portion with Dana beside her.
Isabella's voice came through the speaker, sharp and impatient.
"She won't leave him because I ask. Marcus needs a reason to believe she's dangerous."
Elaine asked, "What if she doesn't argue?"
"Then make sure she has to defend herself. He'll arrive when I tell him to."
There was a pause.
Then Isabella said, "Afterward, she'll never be welcome on that committee again."
Khloe asked Dana to stop the audio.
"She planned all of it."
"She planned the confrontation and the lie," Dana said. "The physical assault itself is also visible on the security recording."
Khloe pressed her fingers against her healing surgical scar.
"She wanted Marcus to see a version of me that didn't exist."
"He knows better now."
"I know. But he should have known better before."
The recording strengthened the prosecution's case.
It also helped investigators reconstruct which communications came before the attack and which were manufactured afterward.
Several weeks later, Willa was breathing without the earlier level of support.
Khloe was finally able to hold her against her chest during supervised skin-to-skin care.
Her daughter was warm, tiny, and astonishingly real.
"Hi, Willa," she whispered. "We've waited a long time for this."
Marcus stood beside them, crying silently.
Khloe looked up.
"You can hold her next time," she said.
He nodded, grateful for exactly what she had offered and nothing more.
May you like
Two days later, prosecutors notified Dana that Isabella had decided to enter a guilty plea without a promise of Khloe's silence.
At the hearing, Isabella asked to address Khloe directly.
